Container and method of making the same



H. E. MCCRERY Dec. 5, 1939.

CONTAINER AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME 4 Shee'ts-Sheet l Filed Nov. 1 8, 1936 Ez'g. 2.

INVENTR .Harald Mc CreJzy Dc. 5, 1939. l H, E, MCCRERY 2,181,905

CONTAINER AND METHOD 0F MAKING THE SAME Filed Nov. 1B, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 v'Den 5, 1939. E, MCCRERY OONTAINER AND METHOD 0F MAKING THE SAME 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Mov. 18, 193e INV'ENTOR Hara 1015.111606@ 4M' /Jaj', MM, @Mami,

lDec 5, 1939.l -I. E. MCCRERY 2,181,905

CONTAINER AND METHOD OF BAKING THE SAME Filed Nov. 1s, 1936 4 sheets-sheet 4 g 1,2 *F119- 9' if 23 L Z. y 23E 25 I .lz. 25 L W INVENTOR Patented Dec. 5, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Harold E. McCrery, Dayton, Ohio, assignor to libresteel, Inc., Dayton, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application November 18, 1936, Serial No. 111,405

5 Claims.

This invention relates generally to containers, and more particularly to containers inwhich the side or body of the container is made out of a plurality of layers of paper bonded together by an adhesive andin which the heads are made of sheet metal, such as sheet steel. Containers made in accordance with the present invention are at .least as strong as steel drums of the same size and may be used for all of the purposes for which steel drums are employed. They may be used for containing either solids or liquids, the contents of a container weighing in the hundreds of pounds, and will withstand all of the stresses which steel drums will stand.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate several embodiments of my invention,

Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through a container having its body formed of a plurality of layers of paper and its top and bottom heads formed of sheet steel;

Figure 2 is a horizontal transverse section through the container taken on the line II-II of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a vertical longitudinal section to an enlarged scale through a portion of the body and removable head of the container and illustrating the means for securing the removable head to the body of the container; ,I e

Figure '4 is a horizontal section taken on the line IV-IV of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a diagrammatic illustration of the means for feeding and winding strips of paper about a mandrel in order to form the body and reinforcing hoop for the container;

Figure 6 is an end elevation of the mandrel and compression roller shown in Figure 5, taken in a plane corresponding to the line VI-V'I of Figure 5, the strip which forms the body of the container being shown in section;

Figures 7 and 8 are vertical sections through a portion of the container illustrating the manner in which the bottom head is secured to the body of the container;

Figures 9, 10 and 11 illustrate diierent ways in which the edges of the strip of paper may be folded over and built up prior to compressing the folded edges to form the beads of the container bOdY;

Figure 12 is an enlarged cross-section through one of the beads and a portion ofthe body of the container;

Figure 13 is an enlarged cross-section through a portion of the body of the container and the reinforcing hoop; and t Figure 14 is an enlarged cross-section throug a bead and a portion of the body of the container in which some of the layers are bonded together by adhesive while other layers are unbonded.

Referring more particularly to the accompanying drawings, the container illustrated in Figure 1 is formed of a body 2 made up of a plurality of layers of paper bonded together by an adhesive and tightly compressed together. The body is reinforced by a hoop 3 also made up of a plurality of layers of paper bonded together, the ends of the hoop being formed into solid beads 4 which are integral with the web 5 of the hoop. The ends of the container body are closed by a steel bottom head 6 and a steel top head I which will be more particularly described hereinafter. These heads have flanges 8 and 9, respectively, which fit over solid paper beads I formed integrally with the body 2.

The body 2 and the reinforcing hoop 3 are made by winding strip paper about a mandrel, as illustrated in Figures and 6. The strip I2 of paper which forms the body of the container is fed from a reel I3 between rollers I4 which apply glue from a glue pot l5 to the strip. The strip passes between edge rollers I6 which fold over the edges I1 of the strip, as illustrated in Figure 9. The strip then passes between shears I8 and over a guide roller I9 and is wound about a collapsible mandrel 20. As the strip is wound around the mandrel, it is pressed by a pressure roller 2| so as to bond the different layers wound about the mandrel rmly together. The mandrel is provided with a groove 22 'adjacent each end, each of which grooves receives a folded edge of the strip. The pressure roller 2| which is made of rubber or other resilient material forces the folds I1 at the edge of the strip into the grooves 22 so as to form the solid beads I0 at each end of the cylinder which forms the body of the container. It will be understood that the roller forces the folded edges of thestrip into the grooves as the strip is being wound about the mandrel. In Figures 9, and 11, only two layers of the strip I2 are shown, but it will be understood that in actual practice'the strip is wound about the mandrel a suiiicient number of times so that the body 2 of the container is built up to the desired thickness.

The thickness of the beads I0 relative to the thickness of the body 2 may be varied by employing bead filling strips 23, as shown in Figures 10 and 11. In Figure 10, the lling strip lies within a fold I1, Whereas -in Figure 11 it lies between two folds. 'I'he filling strips may be fed from two reels 23a in a manner similar tothe strip I2. Instead of employing bead lling strips, the edges of the strip may be folded on themselves several -times in order to increase the thickness of the beads formed therefrom.

5 After the body 2 and the beads l0 have been formed of the desired thickness, the hoop 3 is formed on the body while the body of the container is still on the mandrel. In forming the hoop, a strip 24 of paper is fed from a reel 25 between rollers 26 which apply adhesiveto the strip and between edge rollers 21 which fold over the edges of the strip. The strip 24 is of less width than the strip |2 used in forming the body of the container. The strip 24 having its edges folded passes between shears 28 over a guide roller 29 and is wound about the mandrel 20 on top of the previously formed body 2. The roller 2| is-provided with grooves 30 which receive the folded edges of the strip 24 so as to compress and form the beads 4 of the hoop. -After a 'sufficient thickness for the hoop has been built up, the body 2 having the hoop 3 secured thereto is removed from the mandrel after first collapsing the mandrel and moving the end plate 20a of the mandrel tothe dotted-line position indicated in Figure 6.

The manner of securing the fixed bottom head 6 of the container to the body 2 is illustrated in Figures l, 7 and 8. The parts are assembled as indicated in Figure 7 with the ange 8 of the head 30 tting around the bead I0 of the body 2. The flange and bead are placed between an upper roller and a lower roller 36, the roller 36 having a groove 31 of the shape of the bead, but being larger by an amount equal to the thickness of 5 the metal of the flange I0. The inner vleg 38 of the flange 8 is then crimped in 'around the bead as indicated in Figure 8 by moving one of the rollers toward the other. Preferably, the lower .roller 36 remains stationary and the upper roller 35 is moved toward it.

As shown in Figure 1, the head 6 has a flat base portion 39 which lies substantially ush with the lower end of the container body 2 so that the base portion is adapted to rest on the ground or other support. The portion 39 is connected by an upwardly and outwardly sloping ridge portion 40 to an annular flat portion 4| which lies in a plane above the portion 39 and substantially in the plane of the upper edge of the bead I0, thus providing a space 42 for receiving the roller 36 which crirnps in the flange 38 so that its rests upon the upper edge of the bead. This construction provides a very tight connection between the head 55 to the load exerted by the contents of the container. It will be noted that the pressure exerted by the contents of the container on the base portion 39 is counteracted by the ground or other supporting surface on which the base portion rests. The annular portion 4| is supported at its outer edge on the bead I0 and at its inner edge by the sloping ridge 40vconnected to the base 39.

The construction and manner of Vsecuring the removable head 1 to the container body is illustrated in Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4. The head is made of sheet metal and is provided at its periphery with a flange 9 which fits over the bead Ill, the outer leg 44 of the ange extending downwardly below the bead for a short distance. The head is formed with an annular channel 45 adjacent the flange 9, the channel being formed by an upwardly and inwardly sloping ridge 46 connected to a at horizontal base 41 which lies substan- Vandebody which does -not tendto pull apart due..

tially ush with the upper edge of the container body.

A plurality of cams 50 arelocated belowl and carried by the head 1. These cams are arranged circumferentially of the head and are located below the channel 45 thereof. Each ofthe cams is rotatably secured to theV head 1 by a bolt 5|. Eachbolt has a head 52 lying in the channel 45 and provided with a groove 53 for the reception of a screw driver so' that the bolts may be rotated. The shoulder 54 rests on the upper surface of the head 1. The shank of the bolt has a circular portion 55 which fits in a circular opening in the head 1, and a squared portion 56 which ts in a square opening in the cam 50. end of the shank is riveted to the cam, as indicated by the referencenurneral 51. By this construction, rotation of the bolt rotates the cam.

Each of the cams 50 has a central portion 58 which fits tightly against the undersurface of the head 1. A gasket 59 is inserted in a. groove formed in the cam so as to insure a liquid-tight seal.

vide `a space 6| between the cam and the head 1. The horizontal flange 62 of a locking ring 63 ts in this space and is supported by the cams. The

The lower The outer portion 6'0 of the cam is oset downwardly from the inner portion so as to prov vertical ange 64 of the locking ring, when the locking ring is in locking position, ts tightly against the body 2 so as to form a tight seal. Each of the cams is eccentrically'mounted on its bolt so that rotation of the cam to the position indicated in Figure 3 moves the locking ring into locking position.

Means is provided for positively moving the locking ring into unlocked position when itis desired to remove the head 'from the container. For this purpose a cam yoke 66 (Figure 2) is secured by welding, as indicated by the reference numeral 61` to the locking ring 63 adjacent each end 68 of the ring. A cam yoke is provided for each of the cam's 50a. The cam yoke ts around the cam so that the yoke is positively moved radially inwardly when the cam 50a is moved to the position shown in Figure 2. Since the cam yokes are secured to the ends of the locking ring 6,3, the ends 6'8 of the locking ring are also positively moved inwardly so that the head 1 and locking ring may be lifted Without being obstructed by the bead I0. 'I'he cam yokes 66 also serve,

the purpose of maintaining the locking ring in the desired position relative to the head. Without such means, the locking ring would be freel to slide relative to the head since it is supported in position only by the/cams 50;,and 50a; Each of the cams is provided with a flattened edge portion 10 which contacts with the vertical ange 64 of the locking ring so as toassure that the cams will retain the locking ring in locking position.

Certain of the bolt heads' 52, preferably those cooperating with the cams 50a, are provided with an opening 1I through which a wire may be passed and sealed after the container is rllled.

When it is desired to place the head 1 on the container body, the bolts 5| are rotated so as to rotate the cams 50 and 50a to the position indivcated in Figure 2. In this 'position the head and locking ring 63 may be slid over the bead Il).v

'I'he bolts 5| are then rotated sol as to rotate the cams into the positions indicated in Figures 3 and 4. Due to the fact that the cams are eccentrically mounted on their bolts, the locking ring is forced outwardly into contact with the body 2 of the container just below the bead I0. When it is desired to remove the head, the cams are rotated to the position indicated in Figure 2, the locking ring being positively moved inwardly because of the cooperation between the cams 58a and the cam yokes 66.

As previously described, the body 2 of the container is made up of a plurality of layers of paper wound about itself. In the embodiment shown in Figure 12, each of the layers is bonded to an adjacent layer by adhesive material such as glue, thus providing a rigid body construction. In some cases it is desirable to make the body more resilient so as to better adapt it to resist shock Without, however, decreasing the thickness or number of layers forming the body, One such method of making the body more resilient is illustrated in Figure 14 which shows one of the beads and a portion of the side wall or body of the container. .In this gure, the layers which are bonded together by adhesive are represented by dark shading and the layers which are left unbonded are represented by light shading. The layers of paper which form the bead 13 as Well as all of the layers between the lines A-B are bonded together. The portion of the body between the lines B.-C is made up of outer layers M which are bonded together and inner layers 'i5 which are unbonded; In this construction, the outer layers of the body throughout the entire extent of the body are bonded together. In addition, all of the layers at and adjacent the beads are bonded together. The remaining portion of the body is made up by bonding the layers 14 adjacent each surface, but leaving a plurality of unbonded layers 'l5 within the bonded layers '14. The combination of bonded and unbonded layers may, however, be varied if desired to suit particular conditions of use.

Although I have illustrated and described sev eral preferred embodiments and the preferred manner of practicing my invention, it is to be understood that the invention may be otherwise embodied or practiced within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A container comprising a body formed of a plurality of superimposed layers of paper folded adjacent an end of the body to form an integral solid paper bead, the fold of one layer lying adjacent the Side of the next layer which is remote from its fold, and a metal head having a flange cooperating with the bead for closing the containcr.

2. A container comprising a body formed of a plurality of superimposed layers of paper folded adjacent an end of the body to form an integral solid paper bead, the fold of one layer lying between the unfolded portion of its own layer and the unfolded portion of the adjacent layer, and l a metal head having a flange cooperating with the bead for closing the container.

3. A container comprising a body formed of a plurality of superimposed layers of paper folded adjacent an end of the body to form an integral solid paper bead, the fold of one layer lying between the unfolded portion of its own layer and the unfolded portion of the adjacent layer, and a head having a flange cooperating with the bead for closing the container.

4. A container body formed of a plurality of superimposed layers folded adjacent an end of the body to form an integral solid paper bead adapted to cooperate vwith a head for Aclosing the container, the fold of one layer lying between the unfolded portion of its own layer and the unfolded portion of the adjacent layer.

5. A container body formed of a plurality of superimposed layers folded adjacent an end of the body to form an integral solid paper bead adapted to cooperate with a head for closing the container, the bead being formed of said superimposed layers individually folded back on themselves in the same direction, the fold of one layer lying betweenvthe unfolded portion of its own layer and the unfolded portion of the adjacent layer.

HAROLD E. MCCRERY. 

